California Biographies
Mendocino and Lake Counties, California
Transcribed by Peggy Hooper
This file is part of the California Genealogy & History Archives
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cagha/index.htm
Source:
History of Mendocino and Lake Counties, California
With Biographical Sketches
History by Aurelius O. Carpenter And Percy H. Millberry
Illustrated, Complete In One Volume
Historic Record Company, Los Angeles, California, 1914
M. H. IVERSEN. � The bar of Mendocino county has a popular and
promising representative in M. H. Iversen, who since being admitted to
practice in the courts of California has maintained a law office in the county,
being a member of the firm of Preston & Preston, of Ukiah. All of his Hfe
has been passed in this county, where he was born at Point Arena in 1883
and where he received a grammar-school education, supplemented by self-
culture that has given him breadth of mental vision and depth of thought.
While yet a mere lad, untrained in the wisdom of schools or of the world,
his ambitions turned toward the law as the desired sphere of his future activi-
ties, but the necessity of self-support as well as a decided fitness for peda-
gogical work turned his attention temporarily toward school-teaching. His
first term of school was taught in the McKinley district. Later he was re-
tained as principal of the Mendocino city school. After eight years devoted
to educational work, during which period all of his vocational leisure was
given to the study of the law, he relinquished teaching to devote himself to his
chosen profession, being admitted to the bar in 1909, and in June of that year
he associated himself with the present firm, taking charge of the Fort Bragg
office. Elected city attorney of Fort Bragg April 18, 1910, he filled the
position with intelligence, fidelity and efficiency until January, 1914, when
he resigned and moved to Ukiah, giving his attention to the firm's interests
in the county seat.
Retirement from the work of teaching did not cause Mr. Iversen to lose
interest in educational matters; on the other hand, his co-operation in public-
school work is as active as in the days of his own service as a teacher. From
July of 1909 to July of 1911 he served as a member of the county board of
education, and for one year of the time he was honored with the office of
president. It has been recognized by the people that he is not only interested
in the free-school system, but abundantly qualified by experience, deep study
of the subject and constant observation concerning advancement made in
the standard of education to promote the progress of the schools of his com-
munity. Besides being one of the organizers, he is also one of the first
directors of the Fort Bragg Commercial Bank and a promoter of the welfare
of this growing concern. Fraternally he is connected with the Odd Fellows
and the Woodmen of the World, and has passed all the chairs in
the local camp of the latter. In addition he is past dictator of the Loyal
Order of Moose and is deputy past grand president of Alder Glenn Parlor
No. 200, N. S. G. W., at Fort Bragg. By his marriage to Miss Gladys
McGinsey, a native of Mendocino county, he has a son and daughter. Merle
and Juanita.